'Hairspray' Star and 'Top Model' Spar Over Seats

A fight over five saved seats in a Caribbean airport terminal reportedly ended in a brawl between the families of two celebrities, resulting in both of them being charged and the mother of one ending up in the hospital.

Nikki Blonsky, star of the film "Hairspray," and her father were arrested Wednesday at the Providenciales International Airport on the island of Turks and Caicos following an "altercation" with the family of Bianca Golden, a contestant on "America's Next Top Model" over five seats Blonsky was holding for family members. Golden, too, was arrested.

"There was an altercation between the Blonsky family and the Golden family," Det. Sgt. Calvin Chase, the Turks and Caicos police spokesman, told ABCNews.com.

Blonsky was charged with assault and actual bodily harm and common assault, while her father was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm. Golden was charged with assault and doing actual bodily harm.

nullPlay

null

Golden's mother, Eleine, suffered a head injury and had to be airlifted to a hospital in Aventura, Fla., Chase said.

Both women were released on $6,000 bail, but Blonsky's father will have to cool his heels in jail until Aug. 8, when "he will be further dealt with," Chase said.
He said the dustup took place just after noon Wednesday in the departure lounge of the airport, while both families were waiting on flights.

Airports with their rules, long lines and lengthy delays can be stressful places where good manners sometimes get swept aside, said Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute.

According to Post, it is OK to save seats, but fighting over them is bad manners.

"I think the rule on saving seats is that people need to be reasonable," he said. "There is no formula for how many saved seats make it OK. It doesn't matter if it's one or three or five. You can't make a formula based on the size of the room and the number of available seats.

"If people are getting a magazine or using the restroom, but they're around, it's reasonable that you can hold their seat for them," he said.

Post said if someone has been "unreasonable" and occupied most of the seats in a room, or reserved seats for people who will never materialize, it is best to go to someone in charge for help rather than get into a fight.

"Frankly, if it is really bad, say saving 10 or 20 or 35 seats, you might get the person in charge of theater or airline and ask for help," Post said. "Let them deal with the situation."

While stories of air rage -- flying off the handle while flying -- regularly make the headlines, there have also been several reported incidents of airport rage.

In 2004, fitness fanatic Richard Simmons allegedly slapped a traveler who shouted, "Hey, everybody, it's Richard Simmons. Let's drop our bags and rock to the '50s," while they were waiting in line at an airport in Phoenix.

"It's not nice to make fun of people with issues," Simmons reportedly said to the alleged victim. Simmons was charged with misdemeanor assault, but the charge was eventually dropped.

In April, supermodel Naomi Campbell was charged with assaulting two police officers at London's Heathrow Airport following a luggage mishap. Campbell was denied access to a British Airways lounge and was later ejected from an airplane and arrested when she learned she had been separated from her luggage.

The incident occurred during weeks of baggage problems at the airport following the opening of a new terminal.

Blonsky appeared in court Friday morning sporting a neck brace. "She received some kind of injury," according to Chase -- and a judge ordered her to return Dec. 1. Golden has been ordered to return Sept. 17. Both women are facing up to two years in prison, while Blonsky's father could receive as many as five years.

Blonksy's publicist Teal Cannaday would not comment, nor would Jeff Tobler, the publicist for WB, the network that airs "America's Next Top Model."